Late 3-Pointers Lift the Westchester Knicks to a Victory
By Monica D’Ippolito –
The Westchester Knicks regrouped from a devastating last-second home loss last Friday by defeating the Iowa Energy 108-104 just 24 hours later at the Westchester County Center.
“If we focus on what we do every day, I think we are one of the better clubs in the league,” Westchester coach Kevin Whitted said shortly after the Knicks’ victory over the D-League affiliate of the Memphis Grizzlies. “We’re very tough at home. I think now we have to take this concentration out on the road. I feel like if we stay committed to what we do as a team, then good things are in store for us.”
During the introductions for the starting lineups, the Knicks huddled as a team while names were still being announced. The unity for a squad that’s been falling in the standings recently was symbolic of Whitted’s speech before they took to the court.
“Before the game, we had a great conversation with the team about not quitting and understanding that life will present opportunities for you to quit, but you have to make a choice to go,” Whitted said. “The thing is, you have to go all in together, and if one guy steps from the circle it affects us all. So I think everyone stood in that circle strong before that game and really understood that we really have to stay together for the full 48 until the buzzer goes off.”
Westchester (7-12) needed to stand together for 48 minutes against an Iowa team that would not go away. The Knicks trailed through most of the first and second quarters, but gained control of the game late in the third with a bucket by Ron Anderson Jr. that put them up 73-72 with just over three minutes to go.
The New York Knicks’ 2014 second-round draft pick, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, propelled Westchester in the third quarter, scoring nine points and creating the highlight of the night. Antetokounmpo negated what would have been an easy Iowa layup with a block from behind and then stole the ensuing inbound pass, taking the ball coast to coast and earning a trip to the foul line.
“He’s learning he can affect the game in multiple ways,” said Whitted about Antetokounmpo. “He doesn’t understand that his speed and his energy in terms of getting the ball down the floor and at times managing the floor is just as great of an asset as scoring the ball. He’s starting to grow and continue to pick up the little things that will separate him from the pack. I think, as the season goes along, he will continue to get better.”
Leading 81-77 entering the fourth quarter, the Knicks slowed down the pace and made sure to get their big players some touches inside, leading to numerous trips to the foul line, where they finished the day 30-for-37.
“I felt like we were able to get post touches to Ron (Anderson Jr.), Marcus (Ginyard) and Thanasis,” Whitted said. “Percentages started to come up and then we weren’t relying on the jump shots. Sometimes we can allow that to dictate everything for us, where tonight we were able to put the ball in the post and give ourselves an opportunity to get higher percentage shots, which created a better defensive balance.”
With just over a minute to play, the Knicks’ Langston Galloway stole a pass in the middle of the floor and soon got the ball back, draining a jumper from the top of the key for a 3-pointer that gave the Knicks a 101-94 cushion.
Iowa soon answered with a Jarrid Famous layup, leading to a Knicks timeout. When they returned to the court, point guard Andre Barrett fed Galloway, who again connected on another trey from nearly the same spot, all but clinching the victory with 34 seconds to go.
“I got off a screen and I got an open look and I knocked that one down and got another look, I think the next possession, and knocked it down,” said Galloway. ”So I just got to continue to be aggressive and it’ll come. I mean, as a shooter, you always have to be locked-in in games, continue to find ways to score the ball. I got a few opportunities when I was wide open and I knocked down some shots.”
Westchester, which hosts the Fort Wayne Mad Ants Friday night at 7 pm, would then sink six of eight free throws in the waning seconds to secure the win, ending its three-game losing skid.
Galloway led the Knicks with 17 points, 10 of which came in the fourth quarter. Antetokounmpo finished with 12 points and five rebounds, while Orlando Sanchez ended up with 14 points and 12 rebounds. But it might’ve been Ginyard’s performance off the bench that helped Westchester the most, as the 28-year-old former North Carolina Tar Heel provided 15 points and six rebounds.
“Hopefully, we can continue to keep this in the back of our minds,” Ginyard said of the victory. “It’s not something you necessarily continue to celebrate, but to recognize what we do well and what we didn’t do well, and just to see what we continue to work on and what we can take on to these next games.”
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